notify
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to inform; tell
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to draw attention to; make known; announce
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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notifiernoun
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prenotifyverb (used with object)
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renotifyverb (used with object)
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notifiableadjective
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unnotifiedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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notifysimple
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notifiessimple
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have notifiedperfect
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has notifiedperfect
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am notifyingprogressive
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are notifyingprogressive
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is notifyingprogressive
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have been notifyingperfect progressive
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has been notifyingperfect progressive
Past
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notifiedsimple
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had notifiedperfect
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was notifyingprogressive
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were notifyingprogressive
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had been notifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of notify
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English notifien, from Middle French notifier, from Latin nōtificāre, from (g)nōt(us), past participle of (g)nōscere “to come to know” ( see also know 1) + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
To notify is to officially give someone a piece of information. If your poem wins the local poetry competition, the judges will notify you that you're the winner. When you notify someone about something, it can be good or bad news. New parents notify friends and family about their baby's birth. When a library's money problems force it to close on Sundays, it might notify its patrons with an email or a letter. Notify comes from the Latin notificare, "to make known," which stems from notus, "known," and facere, "make or do."
Vocabulary lists containing notify
Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 5
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Louisiana’s Way Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The War Powers Act requires presidents to notify Congress when they send troops into battle.
From Slate • Jun. 29, 2026
Consumers living in the UK on 8 June 2026 must notify Which? by 8 October 2026 via the claim website if they wish to opt out.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
Major studios will also be required to notify the DGA if an employer decides to license a director’s work to train a generative AI system to create new work, the union said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026
But city officials were not given details about the operation, and were not able to notify the public until hours before the training began.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026
He was watching a movie of someone else’s life now, and he saw the cops get on their cell phones, probably to notify their superiors of what had happened.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
